Irma Mason, DaytonMember Since August 2009Artist Statement I grew up in the art world. It has been my passion since youth. Through my life it has always been my serenity, my quite time. The time I needed to pull my thoughts together and deal with life itself. I found that calmness through creating things. Sketching, painting, writing, Photography, music & fashion design. It’s always been about art for me. But at one point in my life everything came to a screeching halt. My 13 yr. daughter was diagnosed with chronic Kidney disease. I was told she would eventually go into kidney failure and need a transplant. Devastated, my creative side took back burner to trying to buy use a little more time and enjoying the good times we had left, before everything would fall apart.
My daughter grew older and things were holding their own. She seemed normal, beautiful, and full of life. She eventually married and became pregnant with our first grandchild, a little boy, Bradly. Sadly, tragedy struck once again and my daughter went into kidney failure 5 mos. into the pregnancy. By 5-1/2 mos. Bradly was taken C-section. He fought hard for 4-1/ 2 but eventually lost his battle with life. Sadden greatly by the loss of our grandson; we then had to turn our attention to trying to save our daughter. Who by this time had lost her will to go on. A mini Stroke and 11 severe Grandma Seizures left Daisy in a wheel chair for several month. We fought Dialasis, bloodpressures exceeding 240/140, and severe staff infections carrying fevers that spiked at 107. +. The doctor said she should have never made it. But she did. Two long torturous yrs. later, Daisy received a Kidney Transplant. We are still fighting the mental issues this has left on our daughter’s life. But the kidney is holding and our prayers are constantly with her. Dealing with more then any young person should, my daughter has inspired me to spin my creative yarns in a new way. Anything I can do to create a smile on another’s face is worth its weight in gold to me. I know how hard those smiles are to come by sometimes:) God Bless you and yours With Love, IrmaZart